The Legends of Llednevir
"Unlife and Death in Llednevir"
A Flintloque Scenario by CJ Hooper
Photograph by Craig Andrews
A rogue practitioner of Dark Wylde Magic from the New World has returned to his ancestral home of Llednevir with revenge on his mind...
~
A sickle moon shines slimly on the dreaming town,
The sliver of moonlight reaching down onto the top of Llednevir Hill
The mound of the sleeping dead;
All are asleep in the still silent darkness
Even the chattering geese of Dai Evans have huddled quiet against the winter air.
All are asleep but for the wizard.
The wizard has come from the outside;
That place to the West where the sun goes to die every night
His long faced maudlin features hiding the glee within.
Tonight the phrases are read, as the moon slices the night sky
The stars spell words of a language unspoken for aeons,
But for the mad fool who trips upon the hillside.
By the stones of Math and Gwyddion, who once created life, does the rain soaked figure stop,
The hide bound book is lifted from the sealskin coat, and the whispers of necromancy commence.
The sky beings to clear above the graves of giants.
The sleeping warrior rise, but not in the way foretold,
Under the command of the Necromancer they dream of battles old
They march upon the town...
~
The Story So Far...
December Bereft, a magician from the New World has sought out his ancestral home of Llednevir.
Not only is he keen to try out his new magical skills but he also seeks revenge on the village that drove his people away. After all, no one would miss Tarrwen Harbour; the forgotten town of Llednevir will be .... forgotten.
~
The Map
Using the now well drawn upon map of Tarrwen Harbour you will notice the previously overlooked features of the barrow mound and the Graveyard. The graveyard is to the East of the Church, and the barrow mound at the opposing end of the board.
The Setup
At the start of the game December Bereft stands alone upon the barrow mound and for each consecutive turn that the necromancer stands upon the mound D6 Zombie warriors arise from the mound and march on the town. There are a maxmimum of 20 zombies in the mound. Once the twenty have arisen December Bereft may move on to the Graveyard and start the same process from there.
The zombies from the graveyard are fresher dead, and terrifyingly familiar... These are the dead from the previous chronicles... Captain Hatt; Owain Dunglowering; and many former friends...
The village is, of course, defended. The stalwart Owen the Plod is the first to awaken having a connection to the ancient ways of Llednevir. Seeing the outline of the wizard against the moonlight and the dead arising from the earth he begins to the ring the warning bell. For ever consecutive turn that the bell is rung by Owen or a Villager D4 of the townsfolk awaken and emerge from their homes (to a maximum of 24).
The Sides
After years of shenanigans in the village they are a mix of Rookie, Experienced and Veteran Villagers – roll D3 to identify the level for each villager. Each is armed with a blunt weapon taken from behind the door.
Owen the Plod is a legendary Hobgoblin.
The Zombies are all experienced except for the King, who rises first, he is a veteran.
December Bereft is an Experienced Necromancer (see below) and uses Orc stats for this adventure.
When December starts raising zombies from the graveyard roll 1D6 to determine what type of creature rises from the earth. On a roll of 1-4 a normal zombie arises, roll 1D3 to determine state of decay (1=Fresh, 2=Decaying, 3=Rotten). However on a roll of 5 or 6 named Character arises. Roll a D8 to find out which (rerolling duplicates)...
Because of the inherent magic of the land and how it affects heroes these are not standard Zombies but undead powered by Wylde Magick that allows them to retain the skills, abilities and flaws they once had in life!!! This also means that the named characters below are not affected by Brain Freeze.
1. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Lleu The Big
Hobgoblin Veteran Irregular
Brawler / Valley Voice / Large Fellow / Death of a Boyo
He is armed with an Axe
2. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Madoc, Widow of Lleu The Big
Hobgoblin Veteran Irregular
Brawler / Pub Brawler (Orc Flaw)
Madoc, as befits a woman of her status, is huge and does not use weapons.
3. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Staysee
Raw Hobgoblin Civilian
Athletic / Sprig of Leek / Rapport (Guv)
She is armed with a Small Improvised Weapon
4. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Guv
Experienced Small Todoroni Marine
Jamminess / Hop Atop / Rapport (Staysee)
He is armed with a Sword
5. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Captain Hatt
Veteran Big Todoroni Marine
Boarding Technique / Improved Command (1) / Iron Hard / Foul Temper / Milky Eyes
He is armed with a Standard Pistol and a Sword
6. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie High Priest Hoolio Iclazyarse
Experienced Little Todoroni Irregular
Slimy Tongue / Stealth / Nerves of Steel / Prayer
He is armed with a Staff (+2 in melee combat).
7. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Evans the Deaf
Experienced Irregular Hobgoblin
He is armed with a Staff (+2 in melee combat).
8. Dark Wylde Magick Zombie Owain Dunglowerin
Veteran Regular Hobgoblin
Improved Command (1) / Valley Voice / Slate Skin
He is armed with a Sword.
~
Victory Conditions
Zombie Victory
If December Bereft wipes out the villagers it is a major victory.
If December Bereft himself survives until dawn, it promises a sequel and the game may be considered a draw.
Villager Victory
If December Bereft is killed then all the Dark Wylde Magick Zombies fall lifeless to the ground at dawn.
~
Dawn Breaks
The number of turns before dawn may be agreed by the players in advance; determined by a D12, or simply just 12 turns. This may need to vary depending upon the size of the playing surface.
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Special Rules
December Bereft may raise dead villagers as Zombies if he wishes. He may only raise one per turn if he is in physical contact with it.
~
Webmaster's Notes
An Orcs in the Webbe Original! "Unlife and Death in Llednevir" was written exclusively for OITW and was published on the 16th of December 2020 as the fifteenth article in the 2020 Advent Calendar.
The photograph used in the title image is actually Sandy Haven, a beach a few miles from Milford Haven near the village of Herbrandston where I grew up. It's the beach I always pictured when thinking about CJ's stories in Tarrwen Harbour.
CJ's Llednevir Chronicles have been a huge success here on Orcs in the Webbe, if you've not read them (or fancy re-reading them) they are rather good, click on the maroon tag below and to the left.
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